Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown thought it was courageous of the mayor to seek a large pay increase for a few of his appointed Cabinet. Denver used a list of like cities to compare salaries in order to bring the executives to “mid range.” What would be truly courageous is if the city used those same cites and compared all workers. Fair and even treatment.

Jeff Dorrell, Denver

This letter was published in the March 21 edition.

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From denvergov.org-“Surveys are conducted annually to compare the pay of City employees with
what other organizations in Denver are paying employees for similar
work. The Career Service Board manages pay recommendations and hearings,
and City Council gives final approval for all adjustments.” It makes sense to pay city workers in relation to what other people of similar jobs in the Denver area make. It does not make sense to pay them in relation to what a similar worker in NYC makes. The cost of living is much higher in NYC. Maybe we should pay them what workers in Mayberry make.

thor

“Surveys are conducted annually to compare the pay of City employees with
what other organizations in Denver are paying employees for similar
work. The Career Service Board manages pay recommendations and hearings,

and City Council gives final approval for all adjustments.” It makes
sense to pay city workers in relation to what other people of similar
jobs in the Denver area make. It does not make sense to pay them in
relation to what a similar worker in NYC makes. The cost of living is
much higher in NYC. Maybe we should pay them what workers in Mayberry
make.

peterpi

Mayberry LOL
Tell me again how you don’t despise government workers.

thor

I like government workers just fine. And you laughed, so you must have known that I was proving a point. On the other hand, my sister and wife are government workers….

peterpi

I have two sisters who are or were government workers. One is retired.
No, I laughed over your absurdity [weird: the following two words got lost:] about Mayberry.
My sisters took their jobs seriously. They were no Barney Fifes.

thor

I used Mayberry as a substitute for any small town, USA.

peterpi

Okay.

peterpi

Give the top executives big pay raises, while ignoring the rank and file workers.
Looks like the movement to get government to act more like business is succeeding.

thor

But are the rank and file being ignored?

goodspk@aol.com

Somehow this subject rings a Bell for me. Does it for you?

thor

Bell?

goodspk@aol.com

Bell, California.

peterpi

Why don’t you come to the point?
You and thor are similar, ideologically. If he can’t figure out what your trying to get at. Maybe you’re being too obtuse?

Or, are you yet another “private sector is always perfect, government is scum” drone?

goodspk@aol.com

I thought you folks would remember something from more than last week. Sorry I overestimated you.

peterpi

And companies that reward their execs with fat bonuses, then freeze employee stock trades, then declare bankruptcy, while the employees watch their 401(k)s turn to dust,
or,
Trucking companies that give their execs fat bonuses before declaring bankruptcy, leaving their truck drivers stranded because both the trucks and their cargo are now considered assets,
seem to have slipped your mind.

goodspk@aol.com

I thought it was Solyndra that did that just before they declared bankruptcy.

peterpi

You think you’re so clever.
Try Enron and NationsWay trucking, and Obama was involved in neither one.

goodspk@aol.com

Did you lose money in Enron or NationsWay trucking? Did you lose money with Solyndra?

peterpi

Government is not the root of all evil.

thor

In its designed place, no. But our government, through the urging and framework laid down by FDR,has become too involved in needs that were met by individuals, charity, communities and the Church. Solyndra should not have been given one penny. R and D is how companies like Slyndra are supposed to grow, using money garnered by investors who are convinced they are making a safe bet. If Solyndra couldn’t find such investors, they needed to fail. Life isn’t fair and government becomes evil when it tries to make life fair. BTW, Bell, CA was guesses anti-Mayberry statement that I was reminded about by using Google. So he was being no more obtuse than Dano or Tbone or TH usually are.

peterpi

You don’t want to get it.
You and drews are the first to condemn any government mmisdeed, while letting businesses slide.

thor

Still the old pete argument tactic of lying about what I believe (or misstating). From what I wrote, what don’t I get?

goodspk@aol.com

No, government is not the root of all evil, but it is not exempt from human failings. And when human failings get put into law, it becomes a disaster.

thor

And he shouldn’t have been!!!!!!

primafacie

What would be even more courageous, Mr. Dorrell, is if the city truly examined given positions to determine if the value-added matches salaries. You know, like all of us in private sector do.

Simply noting that Seattle pays public-works supervisors X while Salt Lake City pays them Y and basing salaries on that is meaningless if the public-works supervisor in Denver has different skills, responsibilities and number of projects.

peterpi

If I could vote sideways, I would.
Good points in your second paragraph.
Your first point smacks of “all hail the perfect private sector”. Lots of businesses will maximize their profits by paying the workers the least they can get away with. Pre-visitation Ebeneezer Scrooge’s relationship with Bob Cratchit has plenty of basis in reality.

primafacie

Last I checked, both Mr. Scrooge and Mr. Cratchit were fictional characters from another time and place.

peterpi

Try telling that to Filipino workers making athletic shoes for $5 a day, while sports stars make millions to endorse them and.the CEO lives in luxury.

thor

Apples to oranges. (I’m being obtuse.)

thor

Still showing your economics ignorance I see. Add to that your liberal, all business is bad ideology, and you end up writing something like “maximize their profits by paying the workers the least they can get away with.” Wages are market driven, not employer driven. Very few employers have the ability to pay starvation wages. But keep on believing that myth.

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